Baked Sausage Parmesan Penne

We are going to form the basics of the sauce and cook the pasta and then put it in the oven to meld together and allow the taste to flow.

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Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: 45 minutes  

Ingredients

16 oz. package dry penne pasta
1/2 pound Smoked Sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup White Merlot
32 oz. Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Italian Herbs
1 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a pot of water to boiling and then cook the pasta to al dente (6-8 minutes); drain.

In a saucepan add butter and cook over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the white Merlot to de-glaze the pan and simmer for 1 minute.

Add the tomato sauce, sausage, and the herbs. Simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced.

In a greased casserole dish add 1/2 the pasta, then 1/2 the meat sauce mixture, and 1/2 mozzarella cheese.

Add remaining pasta, then the remaining meat sauce mixture. Top with remaining Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

Categories: Main Dish, One Dish Meal, Pasta

Tags: Italian

Submitted by: pirate96 on December 16, 2011